Duke has been hunting for the right goal-scoring algorithm this whole season, and that search continued in the first half Tuesday. But less than three minutes into the second half, the Blue Devils realized that the answer had been right there all along.
Armed with a healthy dose of captain Sean Davis and set pieces, Duke cracked the goal-scoring enigma not once but twice in a two-minute span, providing more than enough cushion for their stingy defense to hold on for an eventual 3-0 win against Elon Tuesday night at Koskinen Stadium.
"We came out of the locker room knowing we needed three points tonight—we needed the win," Davis said. "We weren't happy with the first half performance, so we really pushed the tempo."
Goalkeeper Alex Long didn't have to make any saves as he recorded his sixth shutout of the season. The Blue Devils (6-4-5) held Elon (10-4-1) to just three shots overall and only one in their dominant second half effort.
Davis provided the initial firepower for the home team just 25 seconds into the second stanza. After an initial push by Duke, the ball fell to Nick Palodichuk, the hero in the team's 1-0 win against Boston College Friday. But, with a sea of defenders between him and the goal, the midfielder found Davis at the top of the box. The captain uncorked a curling strike from 20 yards out that found the upper right corner and left Phoenix goalie Nathan Dean helpless.
"It was a great buildup. Chucky laid it off to me perfectly, and I was able to hit it perfectly and get it over the goalie," Davis said. "I think that really kick-started the half, and we were able to cruise the rest of the way."
Not even two minutes later, Duke struck again off a corner, with Brody Huitema depositing Palodichuk's service into the back of the cage.
It was a case of quality over quantity for Duke, as 15 minutes into the second half, the squad had only two shots on goal and a 2-0 lead.
Davis closed out the scoring with ten minutes left in the frame from the penalty spot after midfielder Luis Rendon was crossed by a Phoenix defender. Davis picked a spot to the left of the keeper and slammed it home.
For Davis, whose penalty kick attempt against Virginia Tech earlier this season was saved, it was a rewarding strike.
"You have to have a short memory when you play this game, and you can't dwell on mistakes," Davis said. "I'm happy I put that behind me, and I was able to convert the penalty, and that gave us a 3-0 result that was pretty comfortable the whole way through."
The first half Tuesday was a war of attrition, as the Blue Devils could only muster one shot while the Phoenix had a measly two. Neither of the keepers made any saves, although both teams manufactured a few dangerous opportunities.
Duke center backs Zach Mathers and Sebastian Ibeagha, under the constant vocal tutelage of Long, limited the Elon attack greatly. But with six minutes remaining in the first half, Daniel Lovitz broke in through the left side, and Ibeagha had to make a desperate challenge from behind. Despite complaints from the Elon bench, no penalty was given. Elon threatened again in the 44th minute, but Caue Da Silva fired a volley just north of the Blue Devil goal from ten yards out, and the two teams entered the break knotted at zero.
Having seen Elon play at the Nike Invitational in Durham earlier in the year gave Duke a good idea of what they needed to do to keep the Phoenix off the scoreboard.
"We tried to stop their service into [striker Jason Waterman]. He's a very good player, but Seb [Ibeagha] and [Zach Mathers] did a great job and prevented him from getting many touches on the ball," Kerr said. "And if we can prevent him from getting touches on the ball, then they can't get into the play. I thought we did a really good job defensively."
The Blue Devils have allowed just one goal over the past five contests, and, with the win, they improve to 9-0-3 all-time against their neighbors to the west.
With only three games remaining before the ACC tournament, it was clear how important it was for Duke to come away from Tuesday with three points.
"[At halftime], I told them the season was on the line here," Kerr said. "Fair play to the boys—they stepped it up and jumped on Elon."
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